Sensations
by gacbravepromise
Summary: "Whenever you're near the water, and you think of me, even if I'm not trying to sense you, I will." A one-shot capturing the essence of true love. When Percy disappears, Annabeth is crushed, but she remembers what he told her to do if they're apart. Percabeth. Fluff.


**A/N: Thank you for choosing to read. If you remember, in TTC, after Annabeth falls off the cliff and Percy wants to go down and look for her, Artemis tells Percy she isn't there, and asks him, "Can't you feel it, son of Poseidon?" (Or something along those lines.) Percy admits he would've felt her presence if she'd been down there. I decided to play around with that idea, of him sensing people, is this is what was born of that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**~oOo~**

**Sensations **

The moon was high in the sky, its silver beams casting a soft light on the stage of an unfolding love story. The waves contributed to the set, gently lapping at the sandy shores in a sweet rhythm. The wind swept across the beach, caressing the actors that had entered.

Two lovers, about sixteen years in age, held hands as they walked to the pier, carrying a blanket and a six-pack of Coca Cola. They settled together and relished their private time, scheduled for every night, after curfew.

They each took a can and drank. Percy looked over at Annabeth and smiled. He took her hand again.

"How was your day?"

She smiled back. "Pretty good. I mean, it would've been better if the Stolls hadn't stolen my sketchpad and put me behind schedule, but overall, not a bad day."

He chuckled. Annabeth sighed and leaned into him.

"I love this," she said softly.

"What?"

She held up their intertwined hands.

"Being here, with you, and only you. Without a bunch of nosy campers."

"They are pretty nosy, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, we have these few next weeks all to ourselves."

She nodded. Percy looked over at her.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something's bothering you."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

She sighed in defeat. "I'm just stressing about the redesigning of Olympus, that's all."

Percy was skeptical. He lifted her chin with his fingers and looked into her eyes.

"You can't lie to me Annabeth, and you know that."

Annabeth hesitated. She let her eyes drop to the water, but she still didn't say anything.

"Annabeth."

"Oh my gods!" She cried out suddenly. "I don't want to talk about it! Why are you so persistent? You can't solve every problem!"

She stood and started to walk away.

"Annabeth," he called.

She kept walking.

"Annabeth." He reached out, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. He pulled her back into his chest as a few stray tears spilled over her lids.

"I can't fix everything, you're right," he admitted, "but I can help, if you let me. Tell me what it is, Annabeth."

She sniffed. "I just… Gods. You're my first boyfriend, Percy. You're the first person I've ever really liked this way and… it means a lot to me what my mom thinks. But she doesn't approve of this. She goes on and on about how awful this is, and I try to ignore her, because I don't care what she says, I want to do this but it's hard to drown her out and I just-"

She settled her head into his chest.

"Oh, Annabeth, I know this is hard for you, but keeping it all bottled up inside of you isn't helping the problem. You know you can tell me anything."

She nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not letting her get to my head. I just needed to get it out."

They both sat back down on the blanket. Annabeth kept her legs tucked underneath her. She let her hand dip into the water.

"Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it true that you can sense people when they're in the water?"

He glanced at her curiously. "Yeah."

"So you sense me now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Always?"

"No. I only sense you if I'm trying to sense something in a certain body of water. Otherwise, I'd sense everyone every time they showered."

She laughed.

"Although, sometimes, if someone is thinking about me when they're in the water, even if I'm not thinking about them, I get a sort of sensation down my back, like they're calling me, or touching me."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Annabeth experimented. She put her hand in the water and thought about him. He shivered. She kissed her hand and placed it back in the water. This time, Percy shuddered a bit harder.

"I can feel it," he whispered.

"What?"

"What you feel," he took her hand, "Your… love."

"And how does it feel?" Their faces moved closer, inch by inch.

"Intoxicating."

Their lips met. They embraced tightly as their eyes fluttered closed. He pulled back a little.

"Remember when I was gone for those two weeks?"

She cringed. "Vividly."

"I… I never told you this, but…" He searched her eyes for their reaction, "One night, I felt you. I sensed you, thinking of me, and I wished I could think of you and you'd feel the same."

Annabeth lightly touched his cheek. She reached up to brush a few strands of hair out of his face.

"I didn't know that. Thank you for telling me."

He touched the tip of his nose to hers, their foreheads already pressed together.

"Whenever you're near the water, and you think of me, even if I'm not trying to sense you, I will. Remember that. Just in case."

"I will. But don't leave me like that ever again."

"I won't. But I think it's time to head to bed, now." He kissed her softly. "Good night."

…

"Annabeth?" Thalia opened the door to Cabin Three and peeked inside. She saw Annabeth lying on the bed, her hand tucked under her head which rested on the pillow, staring straight ahead with vacant eyes.

"Annabeth."

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"No."

Thalia sighed. She sat down on the bed as Annabeth closed her eyes. She gently pushed blonde curls away from Annabeth's forehead and rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry."

Annabeth sighed.

"Do you want to talk?"

Annabeth shook her head and buried her face in the pillow.

"It's okay, Anna. We can talk. You know you can tell me anything."

Annabeth didn't respond.

"Please, Annabeth. Don't shut me out. Percy wouldn't want you to do that."

And it was with the mention of his name that she broke. She lifted her head, the tears starting. Annabeth cried into her shoulder.

Thalia held her for a moment, in silence, before speaking.

"Ssh. We'll find him. I promise. Then we can kick his butt together for putting you through this."

Annabeth let out a small laugh as she picked up her head and wiped her eyes.

"I'm okay, really. I just… think I'll get some fresh air. By myself, if that's okay."

"Absolutely. Good night." They shared a last hug before Thalia left.

Annabeth sat on the bed, swinging her feet. She lifted her eyes from the floor and they landed on his nightstand. She gasped.

There was a picture frame, one she'd seen before, but the picture was unfamiliar. The one of Camp Half-Blood, taken from the top of the hill, had been replaced.

The new picture showed a girl, strong and beautiful, with perfectly mussed blond curls and startling, bright gray eyes. She was beaming, caught in mid-laugh, and practically glowing. Though the reason was not known by the picture, Annabeth knew it was because Percy had taken that picture and he'd made her laugh before doing so. Annabeth also knew that the picture was supposed to be of her, but she couldn't recognize herself. She couldn't ever remember seeing that girl in the mirror.

His disappearance finally completely registered with her. She'd been a bit numb to it all day, until now. When it hit, it hit full force. She cupped a hand over her mouth to hold back a sob and she burst out of the room, running for the beach.

She ran to the pier. She kicked off her flip flops and flung herself onto the wooden boards, for the first time letting all the pain wash over her, consume her and rack her body with sobs.

She sat up after a moment. She pushed back her hair. Annabeth sat at the edge of the pier, her legs in the water. She hung her head, her golden curls creating a curtain around her face, and let the last of her tears stream out. When she looked at herself in the water, she no longer saw the girl in the picture on his nightstand. She saw a weak, scared, seven-year-old girl she had always seen in the mirror; that girl had never really left her. She saw the ashy remains that the fire of emptiness had left in its wake.

But amidst the pain bombarding her mind and making everything else murky, a memory struggled through and broke the surface.

_Whenever you're near the water, think of me, and even when I'm not trying to sense you, I will. _

Annabeth looked into the water, beyond the reflection, and into the beautiful green eyes of her love. Wherever he was, thinking of her or not, he would be able to feel her.

Annabeth brought the tips of her fingers to her lips. She kissed them gently, then harder, pouring her feelings for him into the kiss as she would if she were kissing his lips, and touched the surface of the water.

"I love you," she whispered.

And somewhere, wherever he was, in his sleep, a jolt ran through Percy's body.

**~oOo~**

**A/N: I was in a fluffy, lovey-dovey mood.**

**Could you tell? **

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**The Mistletoe Mishap Bonus Feature should be up soon. **

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**Thanks for reading!**

**R&R!**

**- Promise**


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